Mediterranean biodiversity threatened by climate change

Posted on

14 March 2018

The Mediterranean is among the global Priority Places most exposed to climate change; natural variability will almost certainly be challenged, making the Mediterranean a climate impact hot spot. Higher temperatures in the future will put stress upon natural and human systems, especially during the summer months, even if average global temperature rises are kept to 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

A WWF report – Wildlife in a warming world – launched today, shows that Mediterranean biodiversity is vulnerable to rising temperatures as a result of climate change: if the increase is limited to 2°C, almost 30% of most species groups are at risk, and more than a third of all plants. If temperatures rise beyond that limit the situation becomes bleaker still: under currently pledged emissions reduction levels more than half of all plant species and a third to a half of other species groups are projected to disappear. At 'business as usual' levels, on average around half of the region’s biodiversity will be lost.